I can't remember the last time I saw sunshine in Houston. Today I'm a New Yorker. I'm in a mood. And I'm hungry. Be forewarned.
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Just emerged from a 2 hr nap in the library, courtesy of the first all-nighter of the semester for the first exam of the semester. Same story. You've heard it before. And I'm still here to tell it. When I intitially pooped out, the library was sparsely populated and peaceful. Now there's a grip of people here. All looking at me. Just kidding.

*Directly in front of me is a pair of Classic Crayola Green Chucks that I've been lusting after for a good while now. They are attached to to one of the library workers. Maybe if I acknowledge his delightful taste in kicks, he'll erase the scourge that is my library fine balance. Or maybe not. I owe the equivalent of the net increase in the 2004-2005 tuition cost. Maybe I am the cause of it. Wouldn't surprise me. Here comes campus security to arrest me. They politely waited until I had emerged from slumber.

*There goes a guy in heels. He probably wouldn't describe them as heels per se. But I would...and do. And that's all that matters. Fairy.

*There is a Vietnamese student priest and nun seated next to me. They have been blabbing in their native tongue for the passed 45 mins. Did I mention that I am in the library? Valerie's typical behavior patterns suggest that she should have told them both off by now. However, these patterns have been stymied by virtue of their religious-lifeness. They really are homeboys with Jesus, and they don't even need to rock the t-shirt. Telling them off probably equates to one extra day in Purgatory. Maybe it's worth that.
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Went to Ash Wednesday mass on campus. It was stripped, solemn, and beautiful. Refreshing to see the place packed out with members of the university community. Everyone on campus is walking around all ashy-headed. Restores my hope in my community of faith, in this university, and in my peers. Ahh, warm feelings inside.
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I'm encompassed by love and trust. A lot of it. It's all around me. From old members and new additions to my life's cast of characters alike. I'm blessed every-which-a-way. I can't turn around without being blessed.

And yet here I stand. Free-loading, not pulling my own weight. Grateful in spirit but not in deeds. And feeling like it's all going to come apart at the seams if I don't keep it together. If I don't act. So I'm gonna act. I've decided to. They all deserve that. Especially You, Lord.
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But here's some sunshine for you. His name is Paolo. There are so many words to describe him, that there are no words to describe him. But there's not just him, there's an us too. Funny how things turn out, isn't it? He's an entry unto himself, though - we are. I'm going to close on sunshine.

-V

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